A year ago, High Times was on the brink of collapse, mired in debt and struggling to maintain its relevance in a rapidly evolving cannabis landscape. Founded in 1974 by a marijuana smuggler, the iconic publication had ceased printing, its website had gone dark, and its signature Cannabis Cup events were a thing of the past. Then, Josh Kesselman stepped in with a $3.45 million offer to acquire the brand, setting the stage for a dramatic turnaround.
A New Chapter for a Legacy Brand
“It’s amazing how degraded High Times was to the point that it would be sold for so cheap in a lot of ways,” Kesselman reflects. Today, he operates out of a Phoenix-based hub that serves as the headquarters for both his Raw rolling-paper empire and the newly revitalized magazine. Kesselman, 55, brings a distinct, high-energy approach to the business, often seen navigating his operations with the same intensity that made Raw a global phenomenon.
Kesselman’s journey into the cannabis industry is rooted in a deep-seated passion for the craft. After a brush with the law in the early Nineties, he pivoted toward the rolling-paper market, eventually creating Raw—a brand that would go on to be valued at $200 million. His obsession with quality—specifically his development of thin, translucent, additive-free brown papers—revolutionized the market.
“My friends were collecting baseball cards. I started collecting rolling papers in the same way.”
Reviving the Spirit of Cannabis Culture
The acquisition of High Times was not without its challenges. Kesselman and his business partner, Matt Stang, faced significant hurdles, including copyright infringement issues from parties attempting to exploit the brand’s intellectual property. “As soon as we jumped in, we went hard,” Kesselman says, noting that cleaning up the besieged company cost over a million dollars.
Despite the obstacles, the vision for the future is clear. The magazine has resumed publishing daily content, and the Cannabis Cup has returned to New York and New Jersey. Kesselman is also planning a massive event for 20,000 attendees and intends to expand the brand into plant-touching products like flower and vapes.
For Kesselman, this is about more than just business; it is about preserving a culture. “That plant has done so much for me in my life,” he says. “And High Times has really changed me. It transformed me. It made me realize the possibilities that were out there.” As he works to teach a new generation the art of rolling, Kesselman remains the stoner Energizer Bunny, driven by the same intensity that has defined his career for decades.